OF EASTERN TURKESTAN. 141 
9. Shot at Yarkand, 8th June.—tLength, 9°85; ex- 
panse, 17:2; wing, 5°8; tail, 3°38; tarsus, 0-9; bill, from gape, 
1-3; closed wings fall short of tail, 13; weight, 2°6 oz. Bill; 
brownish red; irides, ruby red; legs and feet, bluish grey ; 
claws, black. 
Juv. Yarkand, 27th May.—Expanse, 17:5; wing, 68; 
tarsus, 0:8; bill, from gape, 1:25. Bill, brownish red ; irides, 
blood red; legs and toes, dark blue; claws, black. 
It will be noticed from the above measurements that the 
wings of the Yarkand birds are decidedly longer than those of 
Indian specimens. 
Nestling.— Yarkand, 29th June.—Length, 6:2; expanse, 
12-4; wing, 3:4; tail, 1-1; tarsus, 0-9; bill, from gape, 1-05 ;. 
closed wings short of tail, 0°6; weight, 1:7 oz. Bill livid 
fleshy, tip of upper mandible white; irides, hazel; legs and 
feet, bluish grey ; claws, greyish horny. 
This Oriole is,a seasonal visitant to the plains of Eastern 
Turkestan, arriving about the end of April and migrating 
in September ; it is never seen in winter. It frequents trees 
growing in orchards or over tanks, and its call is a pleasant 
mellow whistle which may be imitated by pursing the lips and 
drawing in the breath—something like Su—fu—jia. This 
species breeds in May and June, during which months I have 
seen it pluckily attack large birds and drive them away from 
its nest. On the 31st May I saw a Crow (8. intermedius) 
prying about the nest of this species, when the Orioles (male 
and female) had a great fight with the intruder flying up under 
the Crow as it beat a retreat and pecking at it furiously; and 
on another occasion I saw a female Oriole boldly attack a large 
Kite (Milvus melanotis) which had dared to approach her nest. 
The Yarkandi name for the Oriole is Sopia- evidently given 
in imitation of its call; in Khokand the bird is called Zar- 
ghaldak. 
On the 8th of June I found a nest of this bird in a walnut 
tree, suspended about 15 feet above the ground. The nest 
was placed between a fork at the extremity of a bough, and 
the bird sitting on it was quite concealed from view ‘I'he nest 
is avery neat structure, purse like, the materials of which it 
is composed being wound round the two prongs of the fork 
from which it is suspended. The nest is made up of fine twigs, 
grass and some soft wool, bound together by strips of thin bark 
woven round and round. The egg cavity isa circular cup 
about 3:5” in diameter and 2” deep; itis neatly lined with 
fine grass stems. ‘The side walls of the nest are about 0:7 
thick, and the base about 1 inch in thickness. This nest con- 
tained three freshly laid eggs. On the 3lst May I saw a simi- 
